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'SOUVENIR OF ANCIENT OLYMPIA': Excursion in Katakolon / Olympia

What is the best way to concentrate in a perfect alchemy the origins of history, the ethics of sport on its birth, the ancient culture, the great classical myths and the modern world? Our excursion will offer you the chance to know all these aspects in one site: Olympia: an expert guide will take us inside the ancient Olympia, a complex of temples, priest and athlete houses and public buildings. Located in a valley along the Alfeo river, in the north-western Poloponnese, the city hosted, every four years, the famous sport competitions in order to honor Zeus called Olympic games. Here, for the first time in 776 b.c. a list of winner was written, possibly the result of the first Olympic games in history. Among the ruins of ancient temples, along the cobble stones of ancient streets, once used by coaches, we shall dive into the past in that tense and joyful atmosphere in which, for five very long days, the athletes were competing in the different disciplines: wrestling, coach and horse races, pentathlon and pancratium(a primordial boxing). We will learn small secrets about the competition where only male Greek athletes were allowed, then it was opened to the young Romans. We will discover anecdotes about women and slaves excluded from the town, from the temples and the terraces, punished by a terrible death by being dropped from a nearby cliff. We shall stop in the ancient squares where merchants and citizens used to meet for business. At the end of the guided tour, we can discover the streets of the modern town of Olympia to come back to reality from the magic of the past. We may taste a typical and strong Greek coffee, a small glass of ouzo or purchase a souvenir to remember, going back home, a piece of history where we have been protagonist of a dream for a few emotionally intense hours.
When would you like to leave? May 2013 - June 2013 - July 2013 - August 2013 - September 2013 - October 2013 - November 2013 - December 2013 - January 2014 - November 2013
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Adult € 52.00
Child (4-14 old) € 36.40
Length 4 hours approximately
Level Moderate Moderate
Type Cultural Cultural
Good for shopping Good for shopping
Recommended for families Recommended for families
Disable Friendly Disable Friendly
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Note: the visit in the site takes place by foot (about 1 hour and 30 minutes) and comfortable shoes and clothes are recommended. Due to works in the parking of the archeological site of Olympia, the bus will stop 400 meters away from the entrance (about 5 minutes walking).